Deepavali at Istana

SINGAPORE (Commonwealth Union)_– Nearly 15,000 visitors turned up on Sunday 12^th November at the Istana when it opened to the public to mark Deepavali with free entry for S’poreans.

President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and his wife, Ms Jane Ittogi, held a meet-and-greet session with the public in the morning and afternoon at Mr Tharman’s first Istana open house as President.

Speaking to the media, the President said Deepavali is a multiracial celebration in many ways. A fusion of Indian and Chinese classical music was for instance, performed by local award-winning flautists Ghanavenothan Retnam and Tan Qing Lun at the open house.

Mr Tan had learnt to play the Indian flute, the venu, from Dr Ghanavenothan over 10 years ago. Mr Tan had at the time, already mastered the dizi, the Chinese flute.

Mr Tharman said that although there were some similarities between the two, the music was different.  He said it was an example of how they could take part in others’ cultures – respectfully learn the intricacies of each other’s cultures, and enrich their own identity as Singaporeans.

He said there were distinct cultures within the Indian community, noting that the Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society’s instrument and song performance at the open house was conducted in Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi.  That is the way things were done in Singapore – coming together for each of our festivities, and seeking to understand the meaning of each festivity.  Mr Tharman added that they become more and more Singaporean in their identities, not just by saying the pledge and singing the anthem. 

Students from St Margaret’s School, the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Yishun Secondary School and Bukit Timah Primary School also put on instrument, dance and band performances. 

Although it rained from 4 pm it did not dampen the enthusiasm of the crowd. 

In the main tent the number of people continued to grow, where activities such as henna art, candle making and balloon sculpting, were held, as well as merchandise booths with limited edition souvenirs and a food truck as visitors queued up to take photos with the President.

In China, Saraswathi is enshrined in Buddhist monasteries as one of the protectors of the Buddhist Dharma, while in Japan, she is venerated in Shinto and Buddhist temples, noted the President.

Mr Tharman said that the symbolism has appeal beyond each religion and that now more than ever, we must spread knowledge and a deeper understanding of each other.

An entrance fee of S$10 per person is charged for other visiting adults, while children aged four to 12 will be charged S$2 to enter.

Visitors could look forward to enjoying instrument, dance, and band performances by students from Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, St Margaret’s School, Yishun Secondary School, and Bukit Timah Primary School.

All fees and proceeds collected from the entry tickets, tours, and merchandise booths will go towards the beneficiary agencies supported by President’s Challenge.

There will be musical performances, and during the open house, visitors could go for guided tours of the main building, from 9:30am to 5pm.  Selected rooms and State Gifts that have been presented to Singapore’s leaders could be viewed.

The second tour is the guided nature tour of flora and fauna of Istana. The tours run from 10am to 4pm.

Warmest wishes for Deepavali! A meaningful time for all Hindus, being celebrated in different ways by other Indian communities.